Monthly Archives: September 2014

Following are a number of praiseworthy qualities which can be found in a corrupt-free politician:

1) Determined
Most of the politicians are determined. Whatever they go through, the thick or thin, come rain or shine they will work on to deliver what they believe in. An admirable show of steadfastness in the face of, sometimes, stiff opposition or criticisms.

2) Thick skinned i.e do not get demoralised by opposing views/criticisms
Prime Minister’s question time held usually on a Wednesday lunch time each week is a brilliant example of this. The prime minister gets drilled by all sorts of difficult, complex and lengthy questions. At times very personal questions too, but through all that there is still a mutual respect. Whether they actually have this outside parliament and behind the scenes or not, is besides the point here.

3) Good listening skills:
No matter how bad or loathsome a party may be, a prime minister or a politician for that matter, will listen to the opposing view or the question being asked. In comparison, in many parts of the world, wars have flared up or deep-rooted century old grudge exists because two parties refused to even hear opposing views. In the Indian – subcontinent for example, Muslim religious communities and sects will declare takfirs for expressing any view that does not line up to their version of beliefs. The quality to simply listen although you may not see eye to eye with another is none existent at all in these parts of the world!

4) Bounce back:
Whenever there is a set back, a politician shows more resilience in his work and comes back more determined to do better for next time. He will never throw in the towel and give up, instead train harder for the next fight. I believe This is a sublime quality to have. Anyone who will have this quality is some what guaranteed for success. As Muslims we may commit sins and fall into the addictive sins time and again. However, what we must remember is as long as we are breathing it is a new chance to bounce back and be more resilient next time in opposing the devil and our ego.

5) Clear structured answers/responses:
When asked a question a politician will often times give clear, easy to follow and straight-to-the-point answers. There is little time given for waffling or using an extensive range of vocabulary to express him/herself.

6) Able to move on
A politician is always able to move on to the next question or topic being discussed. Whether they are on the BBC’s flag-ship programme, Question Time or on a TV interview, they will not spend a long time deliberating or discussing one topic leaving no time for others. As soon as sufficient time has been spent on one question the next is dealt with. Unfortunately this is severely lacking in Muslim organisations or groups. I have sat in countless meetings and discussions where a single topic took up the time of the meeting leaving no time for anything else to be discussed.

7) Teamwork:
There is always a network of people working with a politician in any field. It is never a one man team. No matter how skilled you are, there’s only so much that you can do working on your own. With a team behind you, you can do so much more: that’s why it’s so important that you delegate effectively!
Successful delegation starts with matching people and tasks, so you first need to explain what your team’s role and goals are. A good way of doing this is to put together a team charter, which sets out the purpose of the team and how it will work. Not only does this help you get your team off to a great start, it can also be useful for bringing the team back on track if it’s veering off course. This is what a politician is good at doing, holding the fort of teamwork together.

The above is not an extensive list of qualities, but a brief illustration. Showing how even people we may see as the epitome of materialist obsessions and secularist ideals, even they have good qualities in them. These qualities highlight a theme which is often overlooked. That is, the positive good inbuilt in every human being. A person might be evil, but this evil can be changed into good and the same qualities once used for evil then can be used for good.